What Happened With Renee
by labarredesavon
Summary: I sense a theme developing of Bella's parents' continuations, but Renee was a huge gap that was begging tor me to close, so I did. Bella deals with the situation keeping her mother in the dark presents. BD Continuation, true to books.
1. Chapter 1

BPOV

I hadn't checked my email in months - too busy, too insane with worry, never enough time - so I sat down a couple of weeks after the Volturi had left and accessed on one of the computers off the lounge one day while Edward, Jacob, and Nessie were hunting.

I was expecting to see plenty from my mother: I wasn't disappointed. There were fifty-one emails in my inbox, all from Renee, starting off bemused, gradually progressing to annoyed, then angry, then hurt.

Darn. I instantly felt incredibly guilty. How on earth would I be able to handle this?

Jasper came in behind me, worry and confusion on his face. Well, I shouldn't have been surprised that he would come running: tension was pouring off me in waves.

"Bella, what's -"

He had caught sight of the email over my shoulder.

"Isabella, what's wrong? Why aren't you replying to my emails?

Please, if I did something wrong, just email me back and tell me. I hate not being able to hear from you.

Mom"

'Ah,' he said, and a measure of peace washed around the room. 'We need to decide what's happening with your mother, don't we?'

I just nodded, on the verge of crying for the first time in months.

'I'll get everyone together tonight, we'll find out a way. Don't worry, Bella. We'll figure something out.'

I turned and nodded at him, making an effort to calm myself down.

'Thanks, Jazz. Really.'

He smiled at me and left.

I stood up as well and quickly ran to the forest, where I could hear my hunting party approaching fast. I needed nothing more than Edward's arms right now.

That night, the Cullen family was assembled around in the table in a bizarre sort of vampire family conference. Everyone was present, aside from Jacob, watching some sort of crime show on the television, and Nessie, who was fast asleep in his arms. I looked around the table at my vampire family; Carlisle and Esme, both smiling at me, Rosalie and Emmett, staring at each other (I didn't need Edward's talent to know what they were thinking, it 12:07 and pretty plain on their faces what they would like to be doing right now), and Alice and Jasper, talking about what they were going to do for their anniversary. I wondered idly what they were going to do, shuddering at the memory of the party she had thrown for my own anniversary: plenty of pink and white. Something I had begged her to make the last party she would throw me for at least the next hundred thousand years - at the very least.

I had saved the most perfect face for last: I looked into Edward's golden eyes, that now matched my own. He smiled, brushing his fingertips across my cheek, then taking my hand under the table. I lifted my shield out of my mind (something that was getting easier every day: Edward loved being in my head and would often ask me to allow him to do so) and showed him my mental picture of a vampire family conference. He laughed. I was mesmerised by the sound of it for only a second, before remembering the reason we were all here. I gathered my thoughts and spoke.

'Right. Well, you all know the situation, I'm sure there's no need to explain it. What are we going to do about my mother?'

Edward spoke.

'Well, I've been thinking. We have some options - none of them desirable, exactly.' I winced at that, but it was true. I'd always known that whatever happened, keeping the fact that I was now a vampire from all the humans I'd ever known (aside from Charlie - Jacob had seen to that) was going to be painful and very, very hard to do.

He continued: 'We could fake her death-' I winced again, but didn't interrupt him - '-or some sort of disappearance. We could have a situation similar to what Charlie's is now. Or we could devise some sort of plan to have her never see or speak to Bella, but still stay in contact with her, through emails or something.'

We all thought for a second, and then I spoke.

'I like option three.'

Esme nodded. 'Me too.I think that if Renee isn't strong enough to handle option two, then speaking as a mother, I know I would want to still stay in contact any way I could. And I certainly don't think option one is the way to go. I've been through it, I would never wish it on anyone else.'

There were general murmurings of agreement around the table.

'Which leaves us with the oh-so-fun task of designing a plan of action to fit option three,' Emmett muttered.

I rolled my eyes. But it was true. How on earth was that going to happen?

'Hmmm.' Carlisle said. 'Quarantine? From an illness, perhaps?'

'No, that wouldn't work,' I said. 'Renee thinks I'm getting better, it would be suspicious if I suddenly came down with something again. She's many things, but not unperceptive, and she would see through that sort of thing very quickly.'

'Well, that's certainly a trait the passed on to her daughter,' Edward murmured from beside me, a grin on his face. I rolled my eyes at him.

'Well, what about ... No, never mind, that wouldn't work.' Jasper mused.

I was about to ask him what he was thinking of when a question came from the next room.

'Witness Protection Programme?'

We all froze, thinking. Well... that certainly had its possibilities...

The scared witness's voice continued from the television:

'But... why? I mean...isn't there another way to keep me safe?'

A male voice replied;

'Well, this is your best bet. You did the right thing in giving evidence against them, but in the bluntest terms, they are a large and resourceful gang that will be wanting vengeance after they all hear it was you that testified against them. They've been dealt a huge blow and will be out for blood. I'm so sorry.'

I gave a small smile at the 'out for blood' part, but my mind was still thinking furiously about the logistics of it. Would it work?

Yes. Yes, it definitely could.

The witness had begun to cry at this point, and the male - obviously a government agent of some sort - spoke again.

'You won't be able to see any of your family ever again, though we might be able to organise some means of communication, maybe phone or email. We can, however, hide your husband and daughter, but no-one else. Anyone else you tell, you put both parties in grave danger. Do you understand?'

'Yes.'

'Yes!' Edward murmured from beside me. I turned to him and grinned. Witness Protection Programme. I could stay in touch with my mother while keeping my world a separate sphere from hers.

'It'll be raining big-time in Florida the day after tomorrow,' Alice said.

'Perfect.' I said I was elated at the thought of finding a pretty good solution, all things considered.

We spent the rest of the night nutting out details, and when the morning came, we were pretty much ready to set our plan into motion. First up was a trip to Seattle.


	2. Chapter 2

'Well, those type of documents aren't really what I usually do, Mrs. Cullen, and in the timeframe of only a day-'

My eyes narrowed a little bit.

I was in an unremarkable beige office again, though feeling a bit happier about it now, considering there was no sense of impending doom or anything this time. I turned and looked to my right to see Jasper rolling his eyes at me: I'd brought him out of curiosity. I turned back around to see a short, plump, balding man wringing his hands nervously.

'-but I'll see what I can do.', - or Scott, as it said on his office door, finished hurriedly.

I smiled and him, and turned to leave. Jasper, who had been filling the room with waves of incredible tension, horror, and fear - to scare him enough to not tell anyone about the mysteriously ageless Cullen family, obviously - stood fluidly and left with me: it was very obvious to me now as to why J was so scared of Jasper. The relieved sigh he gave as we left would have been loud, even to human ears.

'And now,' he said under his breath, with an evil glint in his eyes as we climbed into the Volvo; 'to go shopping with Alice.'

I grinned. 'Very dangerous.'

'I heard that.' Alice said from the backseat, with an impishly amused expression on her lovely face. 'C'mon, Bella, let's go and find a pantsuit. Something with pinstripes on it, perhaps...'

I groaned as she darted out of the car. 'Please, Alice, spare me.'

'No. Now come on, or I'll get you something you'll really hate.'

Rolling my eyes, I got out of the car, heading towards the strip mall by J's office. I was really going to regret this.

The day after next, it was time to go. Edward and I had picked up the documents I needed from an unremarkable cafe near the waterfront in Seattle. I was wearing a pinstriped pantsuit Alice had bought me that she'd forced me into trying on and then bought before I could protest - she'd taken the idea from the crime drama that was on last night: we'd bought the whole series on DVD, and she and I had taken a number of mental notes on it.

I was now wearing this pantsuit, as well as an FBI identification card reading 'Anna Wilkinson' that we'd had J forge, amongst many others. I was driving the Aston Martin - a suitable secret agent car, apparently - to Florida, where I was going to have to be the one to deliver to my mother some of the worst news she'd ever receive. I shuddered.

Edward, sitting next to me, put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. 'I'm so sorry you have to do this, Bella.'

I grimaced. 'It's fine. I mean, it'll be awful, but nothing compared to the news I could have had to give her.'

He shook his head. 'You still shouldn't have to be the one to go through with this. You shouldn't have to be cut off from your mother at all because of me. I-'

I put a hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak anymore. 'You know that I knew what I was getting myself in for when I asked you to change me. And I had to be the one to do this: the only people that could, that Renee hasn't seen, are Nessie and my vampire self. And since Nessie is about 6 years old physically, that would have been slightly impractical.'

He shook his head. Wallowing. I tried to distract him:

'So, do I look like your run-of-the-mill FBI agent?'

He grinned and rolled his eyes, whispering in my ear: 'Well, only if FBI agents are so beautiful it almost hurts to look at them.'

I sighed and kissed him. 'Yeah, yeah. But no, seriously, do I?

He grinned. 'Yes. Well, certainly like Agent Anna Wilkinson off that terrible programme the night before last.' I grinned. 'And, speaking as the person who was once told by you to - let's see - 'Slow down! You're going a hundred miles an hour! Keep your eyes on the road!', may I advise you to do as you say?'

I rolled my eyes, reclined my seat as far back as it would go, and proceeded to drive using only my Manolo Blahnik-adorned feet. We both burst out laughing.

But by the time the journey to Florida was finished (and I was driving a bit more conventionally), all traces of my good humour had vanished. As I drove along the beachfront, all I could think of was what I was going to do. I was already feeling terribly guilty again. 'Should have brought Jasper,' I muttered.

He gave a small smile as we pulled up to my mother's house. She would be home: she hated the rain, and in a storm like this, the kindergarten she taught at would certainly be closed. I shut my eyes, exhaling, and gathered up the papers I needed as I slid out of the car. Edward stood in front of me.

'I'll be right outside listening, Bella, love.' I nodded: he kissed me.

'I love you,' I said, and then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

I glided towards the house: a little too quickly, maybe. I didn't care about getting myself wet, but the paper I held probably needed to stay dry.

I had reached the door. I stood, mentally collected everything I had been practising over the past couple of days, and rang the doorbell, wincing as I did, like an anvil was going to drop on me as I pressed the button. Not that an anvil would really bother me.

Renee answered the door. I just watched her face for one long second, committing it to memory. I needed to have vampire memories of my mother, ones that would never fade.

There was a little surprise on her face. Well, I couldn't blame her: who would be out and about in this weather?

I had to steady myself as I watched her face: I couldn't get choked up now. 'Mrs. Dwyer?' She nodded. 'I'm Anna Wilkinson, I'm from the FBI.' I flipped open the badge J had made me. 'I have something urgent to discuss with you.'

'FBI? Is... there a problem?'

'Well, none with you. I need to explain this further: may I come in?'

Obviously completely confused, but already worried, she said: 'Well... okay. Follow me.'

I drifted through the house, following her to the sitting room I knew was at the end of the hallway.

'Does my husband need to be present?'

'Whatever you wish.'

'Okay, will you wait a second?' I nodded. She darted through a side hallway into the den, where Phil was watching the ball game. The Mariners were winning by two runs: a little deja vu.

Phil walked out into the hallway, a little warily, and obviously more than a little amazed by the beautiful woman standing there in front of him when he saw me. I heard Edward give the faintest of growls from outside.

'Mr. Dwyer, I'm Anna Wilkinson, I'm from the FBI.'

'FBI?'

'Yes.'

Renee spoke before I could say any more. 'Right then... Ms. Wilkinson? This way.'

We all sat down. Renee, obviously at a complete loss for what to do, offered me a drink. I declined, of course. I was a little thirsty, but not the type of thirst hot chocolate or tea could put a stop to.

I spoke, thinking of the crime show Jacob had been watching last night, what the officer had said, all the mental notes I'd made.

'Ms. Dwyer-'

'Please, call me Renee.'

'Renee, then. I have something to tell you that will come as a very big and unpleasant shock, and I need you to listen to what I have to say.'

'Yes...'

'Your daughter, Bella-'

'Bella? What's wrong? Is she okay?'

'Well, physically, she's fine. But about 4 months ago, she was walking home from a lecture when she saw a murder taking place down a side alley on the way back to her house. She saw the whole thing, and I'm sorry to say it was very, ah, gory. She called the police when she first saw it, but by the time the perpetrators had already left.'

'Oh, God...' Renee's expression was a heartbreaking mix of worry, concern, and love for the daughter she didn't know was sitting right in front of her. I nearly broke down and told her then and there, before I heard Edward's voice from outside.

'Bella, keep going. She's alright for now.'

Okay. Okay. I could do this.

'The perpetrators in question were members of a very large and notorious crime ring - like the Mafia, only a bit smaller, more localised, but farther underground and far worse, too. They have their main headquarters in Alaska, where, as you know, she was studying. Their victim was a man called Timothy Roberts, and he was a witness that had given evidence against them on charges of theft a few years before - he had been given some basic protection from the government, but nothing much. The story is in these newspapers here.'

I handed her a newspaper which had been entirely forged by J., who, it must be said, had done an excellent job.

'So what happened with Bella?' Phil questioned, taking the newspaper.

'Well, she was called on to give evidence against them in court, and she did, with great bravery and at great personal cost, the nature of which I will tell you soon. She also picked out of a line-up two vital, "high-up" members of this ring, and they were both given the death penalty, after giving us many other key names. Bella was an amazing help to us - but we had to hide her from them during that time, which was why she wasn't responding to your emails.'

Renee nodded: obviously grateful for an explanation, but terrified of what I would say next.

Your daughter has dealt this crime ring a real blow, a huge and exceedingly violent ring at that. She has the undying loyalty of this country for hat she did.'

I cringed inwardly: I had thought that line was far too much, but Alice had somehow managed to convince me that it was fine. Hearing myself say it now wasn't exactly reassuring me of her argument.

Continuing, I said: 'Bella has probably saved thousands of lives by her testifying, but hers was subsequently in danger because, obviously, the remaining members of the ring were out for revenge.'

Renee, nearly as pale as me at this point, said softly; 'You don't mean... you don't mean they killed her...?'

'No.' I said firmly. 'As I said before, we all owed and still owe your daughter a great debt for how she has helped us. But the only way we could keep her safe was to hide her from the people who wished to harm her.

And so that means she has entered the Witness Protection Programme.'

'The Witness Protection Programme?' Renee asked. 'But... wow...okay...'

There was a pause.

'So what does that mean for Bella, and us?'

I took a deep breath. This was it. Here it comes.

'I am so deeply sorry to tell you this, but the nature of the Witness Protection Programme means that Bella has had to go completely, as we call it, underground. We have moved her to a new location, given her a new name, and changed some of her physical appearance. And so that all of her new information is never disclosed to anyone, anyone at all that could have malicious intent towards her, she cannot see or speak to you again.'

'But... But... no!' Renee shouted. 'I mean... Bella's my daughter! How on Earth is it I can't see my daughter again! Isn't there any way around this?'

I was trying desperately to keep my cool. 'Renee, you are probably one of the last people we could tell, because it is likely that this group will be keeping tabs on you, especially, because your relation to Bella means that you might have information they need. You will still be able to keep in contact with her through the use of email that has been filtered by us for sensitive information, however.'

I had never seen my mother like this: her stillness and her colouring were as vampire-like as I had ever seen in a human. I wondered if she was going into shock. Her heartbeat had become slightly erratic.

'Ms. Dwyer? Renee? Are you alright?'

'I'm fine. It's just... a lot to take in.'

I remembered saying these words to my vampire family after I woke up for the last time, and gave a small smile.

'It is, definitely.'

She continued: 'Are you sure there's no way... none at all...'

'No. I'm sorry. If there was any way, any at all, I would have tried my utmost to bring it to fruition. But there is nothing that can be done. I know your daughter loves you very much.'

This was too much for my mother; tears started pouring silently down her cheeks. I shut my eyes, gave my head a miniscule shake, and turned to face Phil.

'The worst is over, the worst is over,' I thought to myself, which helped a tiny bit. One more thing to go now, and then I could leave and fall to pieces in Edward's arms on the long drive home.

'Mr. Dwyer?' I enquired.

'Yes?' he said, looking up from comforting a distraught Renee.

'I'm sorry - I know this is horrible timing - but I need to get you to sign these forms to indicate that I have informed you of the situation. Paperwork is the last thing I know you want to be doing right now, but it is one of those things I have too get done.'

'Sure.' Phil said, shaking his own head as if he were in some sort of a daze.

'He loves you too, you know,' I heard from outside.

I opened my mind to him, with a bit of an effort. _I know._

Phil had finished signing the documents, so I got up to leave.

'Thank you for being so understanding, Mr. and Mrs. Dwyer. I hope that you will be alright. It's far too much, I know, but your daughter is a very brave woman and we are indebted to her.' I paused. 'Is there anything you need?' They both shook their heads. 'If there is, please don't hesitate to call me at this number-' I handed Phil a fake FBI card with my - genuine - cellphone number on it; '-and I will try my best to help. On that card is also my email, which you will need to send your emails to Bella for me to be checked first and then forwarded on to her. I will try my hardest to make this as smooth for you as possible.' I stood and rose quickly: I'd been babbling: I could feel that I was about to lose it completely.

'Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. Dwyer. I hope you can forgive me.' And I was out of there.

Edward was waiting for me in the car as I returned to it. We drove in silence for 4 miles, until we reached a deserted patch of forest where I could give way to the pain racing through me.

As I sobbed tearlessly into his arms, I felt a staggering wave of deja vu. It was like losing Jacob all over again, this pain. And I'd had to hurt my mother, had to push her away from me, to keep her out of a world that could never be a part of. She'd never truly know the new me, or her granddaughter, or any of my family. It was the best way, the only way. Only this time, unlike the Jacob situation, there wasn't any way that that would ever change. It was so hard to tell myself that, but it was the truth.

And at least I wasn't alone in my pain.

'How are you?' Edward asked tenderly, as morning broke and I had become silent and still.

I turned and gazed into his face. 'Better. Much better.'

And I was. Like Jacob, the morning had brought with it, if not a brighter outlook, then at least a measure of control, some acceptance.

He kissed my forehead.

I smiled weakly. 'I'm so tired emotionally. I would go to sleep - except I'm not, technically, tired at all. It's a weird feeling.'

He smiled, and said: 'Shall we go home now?'

'We shall.'

He started to take the wheel, only to have my arm blocking his way. He turned and raised his eyebrows quizzically at me. I slid him over to the passenger seat as I slid into the driver's, and proceeded to lower the back of the set and drive, once more, with my feet. Only without Alice's ridiculous shoes this time.

Edward smirked. 'Well, let's just hope we don't run into Charlie.'

Laughing, we set off back home. Although Edward and I had been gone only a day, I missed everyone at home already.

And there might even be an email from my mother waiting for me there.

It had been hard saying everything to my mother that I needed to say, but doing so was the right thing. She was too fragile for my world, a world of the supernatural and strange. A world I loved.

But she would know I was happy and safe, and that I loved her so, so much. And that was what was important.

I turned to Edward, his skin already glittering in the morning light. 'I love you.'

'As I love you.'

I turned onto the highway and we set off for home.


End file.
